Method and device for slaughtering fish in particular white fish

ABSTRACT

A device and method for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish, has at least one fish receptacle for positioning and receiving the fish, a throat cutting apparatus for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut, a pharynx cutting apparatus for completely cutting through the pharynx, a slaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, a gut severing apparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity and a peripheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can be moved to the individual processing stations. The fish receiving drum is driven intermittently in rotation about a horizontal shaft. The fish are movable transversely to their longitudinal axis on an essentially vertical circular path. The fish receptacle includes pectoral fin receptacles and a torso clamp for fixing the fish torsos. Also, a head support with a head clamp is provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention concerns a device and method for slaughtering fish, inparticular white fish.

(2) Description of Related Art

In devices and methods of the known kind, after a manual throat cut thefish are laid in fish receptacles of the fish receiving drum and movedcontinuously past the individual work stations which are located in theregion of the circular path of the drum. It also happens that the fishare laid without their throats cut in the known devices. The fishreceiving drum is rotatable about a vertical shaft, so that the fish arelaid in the fish receptacles with the head pointing upwards (that is, ina vertical position) and with the tail at the bottom, and moved on anessentially horizontal circular path.

In devices of the above-mentioned kind, it is of particular importancethat on the one hand the ergonomic conditions for the operator meet therequirements and on the other hand the unheaded fish are opened in theregion of the gill cavity without the collarbones and collarbone tip ofthe respective fish being damaged, the abdominal cavity is opened with acentral cut and the entrails are removed from the abdominal cavityundamaged. Optionally, and in fact depending on the fish species, thefish size and other conditions which define the state of the fish, theslaughter cut is to be made in the direction of the tail as far as theanus or beyond it. The fish torsos, fish heads and entrails are to becapable of being carried away separately from each other. Furthermore itis desirable that the device can be used universally, e.g. forslaughtering and/or heading with or without prior throat cutting.

All the above devices and methods, however, have the disadvantage thatthey display unfavourable ergonomics for the operator, particularlyagainst the background that the devices are used mainly on board fishingboats/trawlers which sometimes have a deck height of not more than 2 m.In the known devices, the operator must bend over the device on accountof the arrangement of the fish receiving drum, which is possible onlywith great difficulty in the cramped conditions. Further, the operatormust perform lifting work due to the position of the fish in the fishreceptacle, which, considered over the day/shift, on account of theheavy weight is an enormous physical burden. Furthermore, the cuttingresults with the known devices and methods are not satisfactory,particularly as far as preparation of the fish for further processing assaltfish is concerned. A further disadvantage lies in that the entrailsare destroyed with the traditional devices or during the known methods,so that they are no longer usable or contaminate the fish or abdominalcavity with germs or the like. Due to the fact that the fish aretransported and processed in vertical orientation, there is a lack ofhead support, leading to inconsistent and imprecise cuts, as the head ismovable throughout processing. As a result of this, moreover, the headcannot be carried away at any location due to the lack of fixing.Continuous transport of the fish at the individual processing stationsalso leads to the cutting results being sometimes inadequate, as preciseprocessing on a moving object is very difficult or requires very highstructural expenditure. In the event that the fish are laid withouttheir throats cut in the fish receptacles, the pharynx cutting apparatuscuts throat, membrane and pharynx in one. However, this leads to a cutwhich damages the collarbones and is imprecise in guiding the cut.Further, by a method without prior throat cutting it is not ensured thatthe membrane is reliably severed from the entrails.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a device for slaughtering fish,particularly white fish. The device includes at least one fishreceptacle for positioning and receiving the fish, a throat cuttingapparatus for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynxcut, a pharynx cutting apparatus for completely cutting through thepharynx, a slaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, agut severing apparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominalcavity, and a peripheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can bemoved to the individual processing stations.

Further, the invention is direct to a method for slaughtering fish, inparticular white fish, including the steps of laying the fish in fishreceptacles of a fish receiving drum, cutting open the throats of thefishes in preparation for the pharynx cut by means of a throat cuttingapparatus, completely cutting through the pharynx with a pharynx cuttingapparatus, opening the abdominal cavity with a slaughtering apparatus,releasing the entrails with a gut severing apparatus, wherein the fishwith the fish receiving drum are moved successively to the individualprocessing stations.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to propose a deviceand a method with which simplified handling is guaranteed duringslaughtering particularly of white fish within a size range from 35 to90 cm and at the same time the slaughtering result is improved.

The object is achieved according to the invention by a device of thekind mentioned hereinbefore by the fact that the fish receiving drumwhich is driven intermittently is rotatable about a horizontal shaft, insuch a way that the fish are movable on an essentially vertical circularpath. Due to the construction of the device according to the invention,firstly it is ensured that ergonomic aspects have been improved and sohandling has been considerably simplified, as laying the fish in thereceiving drum is made easier and the fish can therefore be laid in thefish receptacles without substantial lifting work. Also, a compactdesign is guaranteed by the horizontal shaft of the fish receiving drum,which in particular allows installation in narrow spaces. Secondly, theintermittent drive of the fish receiving drum allows very preciseprocessing of the fish, because they are stationary during actualprocessing. The quality of processing, in particular the cuttingquality, is thus crucially improved.

Advantageously, in addition to the fish receptacle for the torso, a headsupport is provided. As a result, the fish is supported over its wholearea throughout processing, leading to improved and simplifiedpositioning of the fish. The improved positioning guarantees optimisedand repeatable guiding of the cut with improved cutting results.

In a preferred development of the invention, the head support is ofmovable construction. This allows the processing of fish within anincreased length range, preferably within a range from 35 to 90 cm, asthe head support can yield, depending on the fish size.

A further advantageous embodiment comprises, in addition to the headsupport, a head clamp too. This clamp allows the head to have a preciseposition and be fixed at each processing position, leading to improvedcutting quality. Further, due to separate clamping of the torso on theone hand and the head on the other hand, discharge of the respectivelyfixed part in different positions can be effected.

Particularly advantageous is the embodiment in which the slaughteringapparatus in addition to the curved slaughter knife includes a circularblade. This ensures that the abdominal cover is completely cut duringthe slaughter cut, independently of the fish size, so as to produce acentral, straight cut which is required for example for the productionof saltfish.

It is particularly advantageous that the curved slaughter knife isconstructed in two portions and consists of a main portion and a tipportion. This guarantees in a particularly effective manner thatexternal influences acting on the curved slaughter knife, e.g.acceleration due to wave motion on a ship, have no effect on the mannerof operation or the result of operation, because guiding of the curvedslaughter knife is effected by means of the main portion, whiledeflection of the curved slaughter knife is limited to the tip portion.For this purpose, at least the tip portion of the curved slaughter knifeis spring-loaded and pivotable or deflectable about a pivot point. Theextra degree of freedom of the curved slaughter knife therefore makes itinsensitive to external disturbing influences. In other words, themoving mass which for example is subject to acceleration is greatlyreduced.

The above-mentioned object is achieved in the method of the kindmentioned hereinbefore by the fact that the fish receiving drum rotatesabout a horizontal shaft, so that the fish are moved on an essentiallyvertical circular path, wherein the fish receiving drum movesintermittently. As a result, simplified handling is provided, as thefish receptacles are more readily accessible for laying the fish and thelifting work is greatly reduced. Furthermore, processing of the fishtakes place in the stopped position of the fish receiving drum, so thatmore precise and therefore qualitatively improved processing ispossible.

In an advantageous method, the head and the web between the collarbonetip and the connecting point of the gills are pushed down before thethroat cut, so that the skin in the region of the collarbone tip isstretched. Due to stretching, firstly the throat cutting apparatus cancut through the skin more easily and cleanly. Secondly, the throatcutting apparatus with the circular blade is applied almostperpendicularly to the connecting web, guaranteeing reliable separation.

Further preferred embodiments and procedures are apparent from thesubsidiary claims and the description. With the aid of the attacheddrawings, selected embodiments and procedures are described in detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a front view of a device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 a top view of a detail of the device as in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 a detail of the device, namely the throat cutting apparatus inits starting position before starting to cut a fish, in an enlarged viewfrom the angle of the operator,

FIG. 4 the throat cutting apparatus as in FIG. 3 in its processingposition, the head of the fish being clamped,

FIG. 5 a further detail of the device, namely the guide between thethroat cutting apparatus and the pharynx cutting apparatus in anunloaded position,

FIG. 6 the guide as in FIG. 5 in a loaded position, namely deflectedupwards by the fish,

FIG. 7 a further detail of the device, namely the pharynx cuttingapparatus in its starting position before the pharynx cut, in anenlarged view from the angle of the operator,

FIG. 8 the pharynx cutting apparatus as in FIG. 7 in its processingposition, the head of the fish being clamped,

FIG. 9 a further detail of the device, namely the heading apparatus inits processing position, in an enlarged view from the angle in thedirection of the operator,

FIG. 10 a further detail of the device, namely the slaughteringapparatus in a position shortly after entry into the open abdominalcavity, in an enlarged view from the angle as in FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the next processingposition,

FIG. 12 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the next processingposition,

FIG. 13 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 10 in the next processingposition,

FIG. 14 a further detail of the device, namely the gut severingapparatus, in an enlarged view from the angle as in FIG. 9,

FIG. 15 the gut severing apparatus as in FIG. 14 in a front view,

FIG. 16 details of a fish during the throat cutting operation in a sideview,

FIG. 17 a further embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus in a positionshortly after entry into the open abdominal cavity, in an enlarged viewfrom the angle as in FIG. 9,

FIG. 18 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the next processingposition,

FIG. 19 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the next processingposition,

FIG. 20 the slaughtering apparatus as in FIG. 17 in the next processingposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The device 10 described in FIGS. 1 to 15 or 17 to 20 is used forslaughtering fish, in particular white fish, this being preferablywithin a size range from 35 to 90 cm.

The device 10 includes several fish receptacles 11 for laying the fishin. The fish receptacles 11 are arranged in a circle and form arotationally driven fish receiving drum 12. With the fish receiving drum12, the fish are movable to the individual processing stations of thedevice 10. In the direction of transport of the fish receiving drum 12,after a station for laying the fish in the fish receptacle 11 in theregion of a product delivery means is located a throat cutting apparatus13 for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut.The throat cutting apparatus 13 is followed by a pharynx cuttingapparatus 14 for cutting through the pharynx. Between the throat cuttingapparatus 13 and the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 are provided guides 15(see in particular FIGS. 5 and 6). In the practical example shown,behind the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 is provided a heading apparatus16 for severing the head from the torso. The heading apparatus 16 canhowever also be switched off or dismounted, so that slaughtering and/orheading can be carried out with the device 10. Adjoining the headingapparatus 16 is a slaughtering apparatus 17 for opening the abdominalcavity. As the last work station before discharge of the fish to aproduct removal device 18 there is provided a gut severing apparatus 19for completely releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity.

In the practical example as in FIG. 1, eight fish receptacles 11 areevenly distributed over a circular path of the fish receiving drum 12.The fish receiving drum 12 is rotatable about a horizontal shaft 20, insuch a way that fish are movable on an essentially vertical circularpath. A second drum 21 is likewise arranged on the shaft 20, but at adistance from the fish receiving drum 12. On the drum 21 are arrangedhead supports 22, in each case corresponding to a fish receptacle 11, sothat in the preferred embodiment eight head supports 22 are providedalso. Due to the arrangement both of the fish receiving drum 12 and ofthe drum 21 on the same shaft 20, the drums 12 and 21 rotatesynchronously. The fish receiving drum 12—and hence also the drum 21—isdriven intermittently. This guarantees that stopping is achieved atprecise positions, preferably in the region of the individual workstations.

Each fish receptacle 11 comprises a locking element 23 which consists ofa pectoral fin receptacle 24 and a torso clamp 25. The pectoral finreceptacle 24 is provided in pairs, namely on both sides of a fish to belaid, and comprises means with which the fish can be pre-positioned inthe longitudinal direction in the fish receptacle 11. Corresponding tothe fish receptacles 11 are mounted the head supports 22 in thedirection of the processing stations, which are arranged on a fixed toolstand 26. The head supports 22 are pivotable about a pivot point 27,such that the head supports 22 can be moved downwards out of an upperstop position. Alternatively it is also conceivable for movement of thehead supports 22 to take place on a linear path. Furthermore, the headsupports 22 are spring-loaded so as to be spring-yielding, so that theyare movable out of the downwardly deflected position back to the upperstarting position, namely against a stop. Each head support 22 isassigned a head clamp 28 which clamps the head in sandwich fashionbetween itself and the head support 22. The head clamp 28 iscam-controlled in the practical example shown. Other control means arepossible too, however. The exact manner of operation of the head clamp28 is described in more detail below within the scope of the descriptionof the method.

The torso clamp 25 essentially consists of a three-jaw chuck, namely twoside jaws laterally engaging the fish and one back support. By rotationof the fish receiving drum 12 in the direction of the throat cuttingapparatus 13, the side jaws move towards each other and clamp the fish.The back support is positively controlled by the side jaws so as to risewhen the side jaws are pressed together. Preferably, the side jaws ontheir inner sides facing towards the fish have holding elements or thelike, which serve to hold the fish reliably in the fish receptacle 11.

The throat cutting apparatus 13 includes a circular blade 29 and a bladecover 30 corresponding to the circular blade 29. The whole throatcutting apparatus 13 is movable on a circular path 60. This circularpath 60 has been determined experimentally, such that the circular path60 constitutes an optimised path for different fish sizes. The pivotmovement of the throat cutting apparatus 13 is carried out by aparallelogram in the preferred embodiment. However, other common pivotand drive means can be used as well. The throat cutting apparatus 13 ispermanently mounted on the tool stand 26. In its rest position, thethroat cutting apparatus 13 is located outside the transport and workingrange of the fish. By suitable control means, the throat cuttingapparatus 13 is movable into the circular path of the fish receivingdrum 12. The blade cover 30 is arranged below the circular blade 29,that is, on the side facing towards the fish. In the cutting positionthe blade cover 30 and the circular blade 29 are arranged at an acuteangle to the shaft 20, and hence to the fish.

The guides 15 arranged between the throat cutting apparatus 13 and thepharynx cutting apparatus 14 for guiding and/or deflecting thecollarbones before reaching the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 areconstructed in at least two portions and consist of a fixed or rigidelement 31 and a movable element 32. The rigid element 31 is formed froma single metal sheet and serves for engagement in the previously madethroat cut. The element 31 is arranged so low as to abut directlyagainst the collarbone of the fish, wherein the smallest fish to beprocessed is taken as the starting point in positioning of the element31. Seamlessly adjoining the rigid element 31 is the movable element 32,so that continuous guiding of the fish is guaranteed. The movableelement 32 is L-shaped, wherein one arm 33 rests on the fish on theabdominal side and another arm 34 covers the collarbone tip 35. Thecollarbone tip 35 is accordingly held in the groove 36 formed by thearms 33, 34. The arm 34 is only 15 to 20 mm long in the practicalexample shown. Other lengths are possible as well. It must only beensured that the arm 34 does not cover the abdominal space, so that thepharynx cutting blade is movable into the desired position. The lengthof the arm 34 is accordingly again determined by the smallest fish to beprocessed. The movable element 32 is pivotable about a pivot point andspring-loaded, so that it is movable upwards by the collarbones.

The pharynx cutting apparatus 14 includes a circular blade 37 and ablade cover 38 designed to correspond to the circular blade 27. Thepharynx cutting apparatus 14 is likewise attached to the tool stand 26and movable again on an experimentally determined circular path 61, thisbeing from a rest position to a working position. With the pharynxcutting apparatus 14, the same pressure can be applied to thecollarbones as before by the flexible elements 32, this being by meansof the blade cover 38. This ensures that the collarbones are kept out ofthe cutting region, so that they remain undamaged.

The heading apparatus 16 is attached to the tool stand 26. The headingapparatus 16 itself is mounted stationarily and has a rotationallydrivable circular blade 39. Associated with the circular blade 39 is acorresponding blade cover 40 which engages in the pharynx cut. Thisensures separation between head and torso of the fish.

The heading apparatus 16 is followed in the direction of transport bythe slaughtering apparatus 17 which includes a curved slaughter knife41. The curved slaughter knife 41 comprises on its inner side 42 acutting edge 43 which extends into the region of the knife tip 44.However, the region of the knife tip 44 itself is of blunt construction.In the practical example shown, the knife tip 44 is provided with a ball45. Other blunt designs of the knife tip 44 are conceivable too,however. The cutting edge 43 is provided with a blade cover 46, 47 onboth sides, the blade covers 46, 47 being spring-loaded. In the startingposition, that is, in the unloaded state, the blade covers 46, 47conceal the cutting edge 43. By pressure on the blade covers 46, 47, forexample by the abdominal skin of the fish, the blade covers 46, 47 aremovable upwards, so that the cutting edge 43 protrudes from the bladecovers 46, 47. In one embodiment, not shown, the curved slaughter knife41 comprises on its outer sides so-called reamers. The reamers arecomb-like and guarantee that the entrails 67 are completely releasedfrom the abdominal cavity, for example, when the entrails 67 are stilljoined to the fish due to being grown over, so that they are only joinedto the fish torso by the gut in the region of the anus.

The curved slaughter knife 41 is of movable construction and arranged tobe rotatable about a pivot point 48. Further, the curved slaughter knife41 is spring-loaded. The pivot point 48 of the curved slaughter knife 41is located in the region of a link 49 which is also designed to bepivotable about a pivot point 50. This ensures a superimposed movementof the curved slaughter knife 41, namely a movement on a circular pathand/or a linear movement, as the whole link 49 is lifted or pivots aboutthe pivot point 50 as soon as the curved slaughter knife 41 is preventedfrom performing the rotational movement by a resistance. This then leadsto a linear movement of the knife tip 44.

In a further embodiment of the curved slaughter knife 41, in the regionof the knife tip 44, namely behind the ball 45, is provided a cuttingmeans 62 with which the connection between the gut and the anus can bebroken. For this purpose the cutting means 62 is of circularconstruction, after the fashion of a cup drill, a round bar or the like,the cutting means 62 or the cutting plane being essentiallyperpendicular to the curved slaughter knife 41.

A further embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17 is described belowwith the aid of FIGS. 17 to 20.

The slaughtering apparatus 17 in this embodiment essentially consists ofa curved slaughter knife 70 and a circular blade 71. The curvedslaughter knife 70 comprises on its inner side 72 a cutting edge 73which extends almost into the region of the knife tip 74. However, theregion of the knife tip 74 itself is of blunt construction. The cuttingedge 73 is provided with a spring-loaded blade cover 75 on both sides.

The curved slaughter knife 70 is constructed in two portions andcomprises a first so-called fixed main portion 76 and a movable tipportion 77. The tip portion 77 is pivotable about a pivot point 78, sothat the radius formed by the cutting edge 73 can, as it were, “open”under load. The curved slaughter knife 70 as a whole is of movableconstruction and arranged to be rotatable or pivotable about a pivotpoint 79. The pivot point 79 is located in the region of a link 80 whichis designed to be pivotable about a pivot point 81 likewise. The link 80is basically held in a lower position by a spring 82 (see e.g. FIG. 17),wherein the spring force with reference to the pivot point 81 actsclockwise on the link 80.

On the shaft 83 on which the curved slaughter knife 70 is arranged arealso located a cam plate 84 and a swivel arm 85. Due to the arrangementon the same shaft 83, the curved slaughter knife 70, the cam plate 84and the swivel arm 85 run synchronously in a precise position relativeto each other about the pivot point 79. At the free end of the swivelarm 85 is arranged the circular blade 71 which is rotationally drivableby drive means, not shown. The swivel arm 85 or the circular blade 71are arranged in relation to the curved slaughter knife 70 in such a waythat the circular blade 71 is more or less located in the region of themain portion 76 of the curved slaughter knife 70. The cam plate 84 runson a roller 86 which is arranged stationarily, for example on themachine frame. The shape of the cam plate is adapted to the smallestfish to be processed and can be changed as required. The cam plate 84 onthe one hand and the roller 86 on the other hand always have contactwith each other, at least while the curved slaughter knife 70 is locatedinside the fish torso. This contact, which on the one hand guaranteesprecision guiding of the curved slaughter knife 70 and on the other handbrings stability to the whole slaughtering apparatus 17, is accomplishedby the spring 82 which by means of the spring force constantlyendeavours to pull the link 80 and hence also the cam plate 84 downwardsonto the roller 86. In case of deflection of the curved slaughter knife70, for example when the curved slaughter knife comes across aresistance in the form of the abdominal cover, only the tip portion 77is pivoted about the pivot point 78, while the main portion 76 continuesto be guided along the cam plate 84. The extra degree of freedom of thecurved slaughter knife 70 is therefore fixed to a precise range, so thatthe freely moving mass is very small and hence insensitive to externaldisturbing influences.

The movable tip portion 77 of the curved slaughter knife 70 comprises alever arm 87 which is connected to the main portion 76 by means of aspring 89. By means of the spring 89, the tip portion 77 is basicallykept in the position shown in FIG. 17 via the lever arm 87. In thisposition, the cutting edge 73 roughly describes a radius. When the knifetip 74 is loaded anti-clockwise (in relation to the pivot point 78), thespring is extended, while the radius “opens”. As soon as the loadsubsides, the spring 89 endeavours to pull the tip portion 77 back intoits original position. A further spring 88 is mounted between the leverarm 87 and the blade cover 75 in a so-called “closed” system. The spring88 causes the blade cover 75 upon deflection of the tip portion 77 torun synchronously, that is, parallel thereto, or to move with it. Onlywhen a load acts on the blade cover 75, e.g. at the beginning of theslaughter cut, is the spring 88 stretched. As soon as the load subsides,the spring 88 pulls the blade cover 75 back in front of the cutting edge73.

The curved slaughter knife 70 can, like the curved slaughter knife 41,be provided in the region of the knife tip 74 with an additional cuttingmeans 90 for severing the connection between gut and anus. Also, theblunt knife tip 74 can be designed with a ball 91 or other bluntconstructions.

In the lowermost position of the fish receiving drum 12 are arrangedmeans for removing the entrails, namely the gut severing apparatus 19.The gut severing apparatus 19 includes rotatable flaps, namely so-calledpaddles 51. In the practical example shown, two paddles 51 are in eachcase offset from each other by 180° and rotatable about a shaft 52.However, any other number of paddles 51 which are evenly distributedabout the shaft 52 is conceivable. In addition, a support 53 is providedsuch that the entrails can be clamped between one of the paddles 51 andthe support 53. The support 53 is magnet- and spring-loaded. By means ofthe spring and/or magnetic force, the clamping force between the paddles51 on the one hand and the support 53 on the other hand is adjustable.

Below, the manner of operation or the procedural cycle of fish slaughterwith the device described is explained.

The fish are conveyed on a product delivery means 63 into the region ofthe device 10. An operator removes the fish individually from theproduct delivery means 63 and lays each fish individually in the fishreceptacle 11 of the fish receiving drum 12 provided for it. The fishreceptacle 11 in the laying position faces with its laying openingessentially in the direction of the operator. The fish is laid, seenfrom the operator, back first, head to the right, in the stationary andopen fish receptacle 11 of the fish receiving drum 12.

During laying, the fish is pressed with the laterally projectingpectoral fins 64 in the tail direction against stops, the so-calledpectoral fin receptacles 24, so that the fish is positioned in itslongitudinal direction. During laying of the fish, the torso clamp 25 isopened to the maximum. This means that the side jaws on the one hand andthe back support on the other hand are in their furthest positionrespectively. Thus the fish is held only by the pectoral fin receptacles24, and at the same time the head of the fish rests loosely withoutfurther clamping on the head support 22.

During travel of the fish receiving drum 12 into the throat cuttingposition in which the fish is oriented with its belly almost verticallyupwards, the side jaws of the torso clamp 25 move towards each other.Due to the movement of the side jaws, the back support is positivelylifted. Due to this synchronised movement of the side jaws on the onehand and of the back support on the other hand, the middle bone of thefish is located roughly at the same height, regardless of the fish size.The side jaws move towards each other until the fish is firmly clamped.

As soon as the fish receiving drum 12 has reached the processingposition, it stops so that the throat cut can be performed on thestationary fish. For this, the throat cutting apparatus 13 or thecircular blade 29 with the blade cover 30 travels down. In the processthe throat cutting apparatus 13 moves on an experimentally determinedcircular path 60, wherein the circular path 60 is selected such thatfish of different size, preferably within a size range from 35 to 90 cm,can be processed without machine adjustment or conversion. Following thecircular path 60, first the blade cover 30 impinges on the fish andpresses the head of the fish round the stationary edge of the backsupport. The sprung head support 22 yields and is also presseddownwards. The blade cover 30 accordingly engages the fish from theoutside, this being on the connecting web 65 between the collarbone tip35 and the connecting point 66 of the gills (see FIG. 16). As a resultthe skin in front of the collarbone tip 35, that is, the region facingtowards the circular blade 29, is stretched so that the throat cut canbe made without the collarbone tip 35 being damaged and without gillresidues remaining on the collarbone. During the throat cut the gillarch is repelled by the blade cover 30, that is, kept out of the cuttingor working region of the circular blade 29.

By the method according to the invention, the throat cutting apparatus13 or the circular blade 29 seeks the optimum point for the throat cut,this being optimised for a fish length range from about 35 to 90 cm. Assoon as the circular blade 29, which impinges on the stretched skinalmost at right angles, has started cutting the fish, the head clamp 28comes down and clamps the head between head support 22 and head clamp28. Apart from fixing, orientation/positioning of the head is performeddue to the shape of the head support 22 and head clamp 28.

The throat cut or the depth of the throat cut is precisely the same,independently of the fish size. The cutting depth is fixed withreference to the smallest fish to be processed. In other words thismeans, the bigger the fish, the deeper the throat cut. The circular path60 on which the throat cutting apparatus 13 and hence the circular blade29 move is as far as possible away from the collarbone tip 35. This hasthe advantage that the tolerances which the collarbones have in theirlength—even within a fish size range—can be ignored, or all toleranceslie in front of the circular path 60, so that the collarbone tip 35 isreliably not damaged.

After the throat cut the throat cutting apparatus 13 moves back into itsoriginal position releasing the fish. Only then does the fish receivingdrum 12 rotate through about 45° into the next processing position.During the movement of the fish receiving drum 12 into the region of thepharynx cutting apparatus 14, the guide, this being first the fixedelement 31 and then the movable element 32, engages in the throat cut.In the process the collarbone tips 35 are as it were threaded on andpressed in the tail direction or out of their original position, theposition of the fish itself remaining unchanged on account of the torsoclamp 25.

With the fixed, rigid element 31, the collarbones are only oriented orpre-positioned. The movable, rotatably mounted element 32 ensures thatfish of different size and hence having differently positionedcollarbones or tips 35 are brought to a precise position. But at thesame time it must be ensured that the region between the collarbone tip35 and the middle bone remains largely free, that is, is not covered bythe guide 15 or the arm 34 of the movable element 32. As the collarboneor collarbone tip 35 deflects the movable element 32 upwards, thecutting region for the pharynx cut remains sufficiently free. In otherwords, the collarbone entrains the movable element 32, so that theelement 32 is deflected further upwards with a large fish than with asmall fish. It is however important that the element 32 firstly protectsthe collarbone tip 35 and secondly keeps the cutting region free. Thisensures that the circular blade 37 comes up to the membrane which hasgrown over the liver. For when the membrane cannot be detached from thefish torso, subsequent removal of the entrails also proves difficult.

As soon as the fish receiving drum 12 is in the rest position, thepharynx cutting apparatus 14 travels also on an experimentallydetermined circular path 61. In the process the circular blade 37 whichis covered by the blade cover 38 moves to the collarbone, so that theblade cover 38 moves hard along the collarbones. In the process thecircular blade 37 with the blade cover 38 enters immediately below themovable element 32 or below the arm 34 into the region betweencollarbones and middle bone. By this cut, first the membrane is cut andthen the pharynx. To ensure that the pharynx is also completely severed,the pharynx cutting apparatus 14 stops at the bottom point of thecircular path 61, wherein the fish receiving drum 12 is already movinginto the next processing position. The stopped position of the pharynxcutting apparatus 14 at the lowest point is slightly laterally offsetfrom the centre axis of the fish. In this position located behind themiddle bone in the direction of transport, the pharynx cutting apparatus14 stops at the lowest point of the circular path 61, but with thecircular blade 37 rotating. Due to movement of the fish by the stoppedbut rotating circular blade 37, there is almost linear guiding of thecut, so that the pharynx is also severed in the edge regions. Before thenext fish reaches the pharynx cutting apparatus 14, the latter is movedback into its original position outside the transport or working regionof the fish receiving drum 12.

With the movement of the fish in the fish receiving drum 12 from thepharynx cutting apparatus 14 to the heading apparatus 16, heading of thefish begins. For this purpose a guide engages in the plane of thepharynx cut. This guide merges with the blade cover 40 of the circularblade 39 which takes over continued guiding. During the movement of thefish by the stopped but rotating circular blade 39, the head iscompletely severed from the torso, this being before the fish receivingdrum 12 has reached the next stopping position at the slaughteringapparatus 17. Due to the fact that both the head and the torso arerespectively fixed, so that no displacement of one of the parts ispossible, precise guiding of the cut takes place. After severing, thehead can be carried away at any position by opening the head clamp 28.During the system-related stopping phase (intermittent movement) of thefish receiving drum 12 in the region of the circular blade 39, thelatter rotates without function in the already finished heading cut.

Travel of the fish receiving drum 12 from the heading apparatus 16 tothe slaughtering apparatus 17 also takes place without function. Duringslaughter of the fish in the region of the slaughtering apparatus 17,the fish receiving drum 12 stops. As soon as the stopping position isreached, again about 45° offset from the heading position, the curvedslaughter knife 41 engages with its knife tip 44 from the head side inthe abdominal cavity which has been opened between the collarbones. Assoon as the knife tip 44 has entered the abdominal cavity, the wholecurved slaughter knife 41 is lowered in such a way that the knife tip 44rests on the inside of the abdominal cover of the fish. Due to thearrangement of the curved slaughter knife 41 already described above, itmoves by rotation first in the longitudinal direction, that is, in thetail direction of the fish. In the process the whole link 49 movesanti-clockwise about the pivot point 50. The rotational movement of thecurved slaughter knife 41 is therefore converted to a linear movement bylifting it at least in the region of the knife tip 44. In the processthe cam plate by means of which the curved slaughter knife 41 isbasically guided leaves the corresponding roller, so that the curvedslaughter knife 41 or the whole slaughtering apparatus 17 including thelink 49 is at least temporarily freely movable during the linearmovement of the knife tip 44. The larger the fish to be processed, thegreater the deflection of the curved slaughter knife 41.

The knife tip 44 slides/feels its way as it were over the abdominalcover in the direction of the anus opening. As soon as the ball 45 onthe knife tip 44 has reached the anus, the curved slaughter knife 41penetrates from the inside to the outside through the abdominal cover oranus. By further rotation of the curved slaughter knife 41, the cuttingedge 43 on the inner side 42 of the curved slaughter knife 41 begins tocut open the abdominal cover from the anus in the direction of the head.In the event that additional means 62 are arranged directly behind theball 45, before the actual abdominal cut, first the connecting elementbetween gut and anus is severed so that the connection between the gutand the fish torso is broken.

However, immediate initial cutting of the abdominal cover is at firstprevented by the blade covers 46, 47 arranged on both sides of thecutting edge 43. The cutting edge 43 is not released until the abdominalskin has deflected upwards the spring-loaded and pivotable blade covers46, 47. By the pressure of the blade covers 46, 47 on the abdominalskin, the latter is stretched. Furthermore, this pressure leads tocentring of the fish and particularly of the abdominal cover, so thatthe slaughter cut is made centrally or symmetrically. Now the entrails67 drop by their own weight out of the open abdominal cavity. In theevent that the entrails 67 remain in the abdominal cavity, for examplebecause they are grown over, reamers on the outer sides of the curvedslaughter knife 41 ensure that the entrails 67 pass through the openabdominal cover to the outside.

In the embodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17 described in FIGS. 17to 20, the curved slaughter knife 70 engages with its knife tip 74 fromthe head side in the abdominal cavity opened between the collarbones. Byclockwise rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70 about the pivotpoint 79, the knife tip 74 is lowered and rests on the inside of theabdominal cover of the fish. The point at which the knife tip 74impinges on the abdominal cover is defined by means of the cam shape ofthe cam plate 84. In any case it is ensured that the knife tip 74 restson the abdominal cover in front of the anus or anus opening. Afterresting of the knife tip 74, the curved slaughter knife 70 moves furtherabout the pivot point 79, while the knife tip 74 essentially moves inthe linear direction. The resistance of the abdominal cover again causesconversion of rotation to linear movement. But in this embodiment it isnot the whole link 80 that pivots about the pivot point 81, but only thetip portion 77 about the pivot point 78. The degree of freedom of thecurved slaughter knife 70 is therefore limited only to a given range. Inother words this means that only the tip portion 77 of the curvedslaughter knife 70 pivots or is deflected about the pivot point 78 as afunction of the fish size, while the main portion 76 continues toperform a given rotational movement along the cam plate 84.

As soon as the load on the tip portion 77 subsides, either because theknife tip 74 passes through the anus or the knife tip 74 comes up behindthe anus through the abdominal cover (and so the counter-pressuregenerated by the abdominal cover is eliminated), the spring 89 causesthe tip portion 77 to move back into its original position. In the eventthat the curved slaughter knife 70 passes out of the abdominal coveronly behind the anus, e.g. in the case of pollack with a stableabdominal skin, there is provided a stop 92 which limits the deflectionof the tip portion 77, and so the “opening” of the radius, by the factthat the lever arm 87 strikes the stop 92. As soon as the tip portion 77strikes the stop 92, the knife tip 77 again follows the rotationalmovement of the main portion 76. The position or construction of thestop 92 depends on the desired exit position of the curved slaughterknife 70 and is variable. The stop 92 guarantees that the curvedslaughter knife 70 in any case leaves the abdominal cover.

By further rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70, the cutting edge73 begins to cut open the abdominal cover from the rear in the directionof the head, from the inside to the outside. However, immediate initialcutting of the abdominal cover by the blade cover 75 arranged on bothsides is prevented. The cutting edge 73 is not released until theabdominal cover has deflected upwards the spring-loaded and pivotableblade covers 75. In the process the spring 88 is stretched. The effectscaused by the blade cover 75 have already been described on the firstembodiment of the slaughtering apparatus 17. After the abdominal cut,when the pressure on the blade cover 75 subsides, the spring 88 ensuresthat the blade cover 75 is pulled back down, that is, in front of thecutting edge 73.

Due to the continuous rotation of the curved slaughter knife 70 aboutthe pivot point 79, depending on the size of the fish to be processed,finally also the circular blade 71 becomes engaged and completely opensthe abdominal cover. With smaller fish the abdominal cover is basicallyalready completely severed or opened by the cutting edge 73. With largerfish a small web may be left between the anus and the opening of theabdominal cavity, which web is then reliably severed by the circularblade 71, so that then the entrails left in the abdominal cavity canhang down from the fish torso.

Travel of the fish receiving drum 12 from the slaughtering apparatus 17to the gut severing apparatus 19 which is offset about 45° takes placewithout function. In the region of the gut severing apparatus 19 thefish is then horizontal, this being with the open abdominal cavityoriented downwards.

Paddles 51 arranged below the fish receiving drum 12 rotatecircumferentially. The paddles 51 catch the entrails 67 which arehanging down and clamp them between themselves and the support 53. Forthis purpose the support 53 is magnetically loaded. This means that theclamping force decreases with increasing distance between the paddle 51and the support 53, until after a given distance it completelydisappears. This ensures that foreign bodies which become clampedbetween the paddle 51 and the support 53 do not lead to machine damageor a breakdown. In addition the support 53 is spring-loaded, wherein thespring force serves only to pull the support 53 back into the actualclamping position in the event that the magnetic force has beenovercome.

Due to the rotary movement of the paddles 51 combined with clamping, theentrails 67 which are joined to the torso only via the gut at the anusare pulled en bloc out of the abdominal cavity. The entrails 67 detachedfrom the abdominal cavity by tensile force are collected in a containerand carried away. Upon rotation of the fish receiving drum 12 into thenext position, the torso clamp 25 opens so that the torsos are releasedand drop out of the fish receptacle 11. The torsos are then collectedand carried away.

It is also possible to omit individual steps of the method, particularlyheading, for example by dismounting individual apparatuses such as theheading apparatus 16. Throat cutting too can be omitted by dismountingthe throat cutting apparatus 13. The method or the individual steps ofthe method are in each case determined by the desired requirements.Basically, processing of the fish takes place in parallel at theindividual processing stations, so that the stopping times at theindividual processing stations are used particularly effectively.

1. A device for slaughtering fish, including at least one fishreceptacle for positioning and receiving the fish, a throat cuttingapparatus for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynxcut, a pharynx cutting apparatus for completely cutting through thepharynx, a slaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, agut severing apparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominalcavity, and a peripheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can bemoved to the individual processing stations, wherein the fish receivingdrum, which is driven intermittently, is rotatable about a horizontalshaft, wherein the device moves the fish in an essentially circular patharound a horizontal shaft such that longitudinal axes of the fish aresubstantially parallel with said horizontal shaft, wherein the fishreceptacle includes pectoral fin receptacles for positioning the fishand a torso clamp for fixing the fish torsos and, in addition to eachfish receptacle, a spring-loaded head support is provided in associationwith a head clamp which clamps the head of the fish in a sandwichfashion between itself and the spring-loaded head support, and whereinthe spring-loaded head support is pivotable about a pivot point.
 2. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein in that in addition a headingapparatus is provided for severing the head from the torso.
 3. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the head support is of movableconstruction.
 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the head clampis cam-controlled.
 5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the headclamp is spring-loaded and pivotable about a pivot point.
 6. The deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the throat cutting apparatus includes acircular blade with corresponding blade cover.
 7. The device accordingto claim 4, wherein the throat cutting apparatus or the circular bladeis movable on a circular path.
 8. The device according to claim 4,wherein, between the throat cutting apparatus and the pharynx cuttingapparatus are provided means for positioning the collarbones.
 9. Thedevice according to claim 8, wherein the pharynx cutting apparatusincludes a circular blade with corresponding blade cover.
 10. The deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein the pharynx cutting apparatus or thecircular blade is movable on a circular path.
 11. The device accordingto claim 1, wherein by means of the pharynx cutting apparatus or a guideimmediately in front of the pharynx cutting apparatus the collarbonescan be positioned.
 12. The device according to claim 2, wherein theheading apparatus includes a circular blade mounted in a stationaryposition with a blade cover.
 13. The device according to claim 12,wherein the circular blade is driven in rotation.
 14. The deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the slaughtering apparatus includes acurved slaughter knife.
 15. The device according to claim 14, whereinthe curved slaughter knife is blunt including being ball-shaped at tipof the knife.
 16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the curvedslaughter knife on an inner side thereof is sharp-edged, the cuttingedge being covered by a blade cover.
 17. The device according to claim16, wherein the blade cover is spring-loaded.
 18. The device accordingto claim 17, wherein the blade cover is arranged on both sides of thecutting edge.
 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the curvedslaughter knife on its outer sides comprises reamers.
 20. The deviceaccording to claim 15, wherein the region behind the knife tip areprovided additional cutting means.
 21. The device according to claim 20,wherein the curved slaughter knife is of movable construction such thatit can be lowered.
 22. The device according to claim 21, wherein thecurved slaughter knife is additionally constructed so as to be rotatableabout a pivot point.
 23. The device according to claim 22, wherein thecurved slaughter knife is arranged on a link, the link being pivotableabout a pivot point.
 24. The device according to claim 23, wherein inaddition to the curved slaughter knife the slaughtering apparatusincludes a circular blade.
 25. The device according to claim 14, whereinthe curved slaughter knife is constructed in two portions and consistsof a main portion and a tip portion.
 26. The device according to claim25, wherein the curved slaughter knife is arranged on a shaft.
 27. Thedevice according to claim 26, wherein on the shaft in addition arearranged a cam plate and a swivel arm.
 28. The device according to claim27, wherein corresponding to the cam plate is provided a roller overwhich the cam plate can roll, the roller being arranged stationarily.29. The device according to claim 28, wherein during the rotationalmovement the curved slaughter knife follows a fixed curve correspondingto the cam plate.
 30. The device according to claim 29, wherein at leastthe tip portion of the curved slaughter knife is spring-loaded andpivotable or deflectable about a pivot point.
 31. The device accordingto claim 30, wherein the tip portion has a stop.
 32. The deviceaccording to claim 31, wherein the tip portion has a lever arm whichcooperates with the stop.
 33. The device according to claim 32, whereinat the free end of the swivel arm is arranged a circular blade.
 34. Thedevice according to claim 33, wherein at the lowermost position of thefish receiving drum, behind the slaughtering apparatus in the directionof transport, are arranged means for removing the entrails.
 35. Thedevice according to claim 34, wherein the means include movable flapsand a support.
 36. The device according to claim 35, wherein the supportis magnet-loaded and spring-loaded.
 37. The device according to claim 1,wherein the head clamp is spring-loaded and pivotable about a pivotpoint.
 38. The device according to claim 2, wherein the head clamp isspring-loaded and pivotable about a pivot point.
 39. The deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the head clamp is spring-loaded andpivotable about a pivot point.
 40. A method for slaughtering fish,including the steps of: laying the fish in fish receptacles of a fishreceiving drum, cutting open the throats of the fish in preparation forthe pharynx cut by means of a throat cutting apparatus, completelycutting through the pharynx with a pharynx cutting apparatus, openingthe abdominal cavity with a slaughtering apparatus, releasing theentrails with a gut severing apparatus, wherein the fish with the fishreceiving drum, which rotates about a horizontal shaft so that the fishare moved on an essentially circular path, are moved successively andintermittently to the individual processing stations, whereinlongitudinal axes of the fish are generally parallel to the horizontalshaft and wherein the fish are transported such that their longitudinalaxes are substantially parallel with the horizontal shaft, positioned bymeans of their pectoral fins, fixed in the region of their torsos, andadditionally supported at their heads in the fish receptacles of thefish receiving drum, and wherein the head is fixed to a head support,the head support being provided in association with a head clamp whichclamps the head of the fish in a sandwich fashion between itself and thehead support.
 41. The method according to claim 40 wherein the throatcut is performed from the outside in such a way that the throat cuttingapparatus is applied to the fish from the outside.
 42. The methodaccording to claim 41, wherein the head and the web between thecollarbone tip and the connecting point of the gills, of a fish, arepushed down before the throat cut, so that the skin in the region of thecollarbone tip is stretched.
 43. The method according to claim 42,wherein the throat cutting apparatus, after the throat cut, moves intoits original position, so that the fish receiving drum can be moved on.44. The method according to claim 43, wherein during the movement of thefish from the throat cutting apparatus to the pharynx cutting apparatusa guide engages in the throat cut, pressing the collarbones into aprecise position.
 45. The method according to claim 40, wherein thepharynx cutting apparatus following a circular path first severs themembrane between the collarbones and only then cuts the pharynx.
 46. Themethod according to claim 45, wherein the pharynx cutting apparatusremains in a lower position of the circular path while the fishreceiving drum moves on in the direction of a heading apparatus.
 47. Themethod according to claim 46, wherein the pharynx cutting apparatus ismoved into its original position before the next fish arrives forpharynx cutting.
 48. The method according to claim 47, wherein aftersevering the pharynx the fish are headed with a heading apparatus. 49.The method according to claim 48, wherein during the movement of thefish from the pharynx cutting apparatus to the heading apparatus a guideengages in the pharynx cut.
 50. The method according to claim 49,wherein, for heading, the fish is removed by a stationarily mounted,rotating circular blade.
 51. The method according to claim 50, whereinthe abdominal cavity is opened by a curved slaughter knife, the cutbeing made from the inside to the outside.
 52. The method according toclaim 51, wherein opening of the abdominal cavity is effected from therear, that is, from the tail, to the front, that is, in the direction ofthe head.
 53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the curvedslaughter knife enters from the head side into the abdominal cavitywhich has been opened between the collarbones.
 54. The method accordingto claim 53, wherein the curved slaughter knife is lowered afterentering the abdominal cavity, so that it rests on the inside of theabdominal skin.
 55. The method according to claim 54, wherein the curvedslaughter knife upon further rotation is at least partially movedessentially linearly.
 56. The method according to claim 55, wherein thecurved slaughter knife is deflected only in the region of the knife tip.57. The method according to claim 56, wherein curved slaughter knife ismoved knife tip first in the direction of the anus or beyond it in thetail direction.
 58. The method according to claim 57, wherein the curvedslaughter knife penetrates through the abdominal skin from the inside tothe outside in the region of the anus or behind it.
 59. The methodaccording to claim 58, wherein the curved slaugther knife cuts theabdominal cover open upon further rotation.
 60. The method according toclaim 59, wherein the abdominal skin in the region of the opening of theabdominal cavity is finally severed by means of a circular blade. 61.The method according to claim 60, wherein after severing the abdominalskin the entrails are cleared out in such a way that they are joined tothe fish only via the gut in the region of the anus.
 62. The methodaccording to claim 61, wherein the entrails are detached all together enbloc from the fish body.
 63. The method according to claim 62, whereinthe entrails are clamped and pulled off by a pulling movement/tensileforce.
 64. The method according to claim 63, wherein the head and/or thefish torso can be carried away at any position of the fish receivingdrum.
 65. The method according to claim 64, wherein the fish areprocessed simultaneously at the respective processing stations.